Cuddles and Care Day Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

The provision is good

Children arrive at the setting with gusto.

Staff are caring and welcome children with enthusiasm. Children separate from their parents with ease and quickly settle into their play, demonstrating that they feel safe and secure. Children form close connections with staff and other children.

Babies show that they have meaningful attachments with their key person as they seek reassurance when unfamiliar adults enter the room. After some soothing words from staff, babies' confidence returns, and they re-engage in their play. Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their early mathematical skills.

...For example, toddlers learn about quantity and weight as they pour oats into different-sized containers. Toddlers learn that containers that are full with oats are heavier than those that contain less. Older children learn about simple subtraction and addition as staff model 'one more', 'one less' and 'total amount'.

This helps children develop a secure understanding that number has value.Staff help children develop their resilience as they provide activities that pose challenge. For example, children test their aim as they take turns to throw beanbags into a bucket.

Some children who find this activity tricky persevere with success, while others think critically and move closer to the bucket, making the task easier to achieve. Staff allow children to find their own solutions before stepping in and offering support. This helps children develop positive attitudes towards their learning.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and staff create a curriculum that is ambitious and built around children's individual needs. Staff know the children well and plan precise next steps that successfully build their knowledge and skills over time. Leaders use practice-monitoring tools well to identify staff training needs.

For example, staff have recently completed training to enhance children's access to mathematics. Children are now making good levels of progress in this learning area.Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from a language-rich environment.

For example, staff use communication aids, such as objects of reference, well to support those who are developing their speech. This ensures all children have a 'voice'. Staff working in the pre-school area ask children lots of open-ended questions, which helps to strengthen children's language skills and develops their vocabulary.

This helps children to become effective communicators.Staff carefully plan a range of well-sequenced activities that provide children with the physical skills they will need for their eventual move to school. For example, babies develop their core and arm strength as they stand and create large movements while making marks with chalk.

Older children and staff have immense fun as they sing loudly while strengthening their hand muscles with dough. Children concentrate as they follow the instructions in the songs. They practise a variety of movements as they squish, roll, pinch, pound and prod dough in time with the music.

This helps children develop the physical skills they will need for future writing.Staff help children learn how to keep themselves and others safe and healthy. For example, toddlers learn effective handwashing techniques as they cover their hands with soap to see how many bubbles they can make.

Toddlers concentrate as they cover each part of their hands with the soapy mixture, leaving their hands 'nice and clean'. Staff help children learn about risk. For example, after lunch, staff place 'wet floor' signs around the area.

Staff explain to children what the signs mean and why these are important. Children learn that when the floor is wet, it is slippery and can cause slips and falls. Staff's clear explanations help children secure their knowledge.

Overall, children behave well. They follow instructions, show respect for their toys and are kind and considerate. Staff embed the rules well and refer to these regularly when reminding children of the boundaries.

This helps some children gain a secure understanding of what is expected of them. However, on occasion, staff do not always fully explain why some behaviours, such as putting feet on the table during mealtimes, are unwanted. This means that some children need more frequent reminders than others before they understand the consequences of their actions.

On the whole, leaders and staff work in partnership with parents and professionals. For example, the effective relationships staff build with teachers from local schools help children to transition with ease. Staff work closely with parents, building positive and trusting relationships.

In the main, parents report that they are happy with the care and learning their children receive. However, not all parents felt well informed about the progress their children make. This reduces the opportunities parents have to extend their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.There is an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children's interests first.

What does the setting need to do to improve?

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should: help children gain a deeper understanding of why rules are important by providing clear and consistent explanations provide parents with regular updates on children's progress, so they can fully support children's learning at home.